


Bug Friends

by HyperKid



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Caduceus uses bugs to babysit the Nein, Fluff, Humour, Jester likes bug friends, Other, because they need it, bug babysitter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 07:28:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,162
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17504231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HyperKid/pseuds/HyperKid
Summary: There’s a lot of uses for an army of friendly and obedient insects. Like keeping an eye on your more chaotic and trouble prone friends.Caduceus likes to think they haven’t noticed.





	Bug Friends

**Author's Note:**

> HK: So. I swear. Irl friends can corroborate. I was GOING to give y’all Critmas part 2 today.   
> Mollymauk: And then what happened? *you know he’s got that shit eating grin*   
> HK: You know what happened.   
> Mollymauk: Shut up, I’m aiding the narrative. And then what happened?   
> HK: And then SIX HOURS AGO it was decided my phone was too badly broken and needed replacing.   
> Mollymauk: And what’s been happening for six hours?   
> HK: I’ve been trying to restore my phone. Because guess where all my fics are?   
> Mollymauk: On your computer, like not a dumbass?   
> HK: I know this is why I love you, but you’re fucking lucky I love you.   
> Mollymauk: So now that you’ve ruined Christmas-   
> HK: It was already the new year!   
> Mollymauk: - how are you planning to make it up to everyone?   
> HK: Soft bug friends. Soft Caduceus. Soft don’t-think-about-48.   
> Mollymauk: That’s my girl.   
> HK: And then after Critmas I break all of their hearts. 
> 
> WARNINGS!! Jester drawing dicks on things. Caduceus being adorable 
> 
> Disclaimers: I own nothing, but my Caleb (and soon to be Caduceus) got some lovely little bug friends for cosplay today to show me and prompted this!

Caduceus Clay worries about his friends. For very good reason, from what he’s seen of this group of rejects so far. He’s not one to pry, or looking for secrets. No, he just wants to know they’re okay, and not hurting themselves or others.

 

Luckily, he has a group of little friends who can be very discrete. The beetles don’t pay much attention to Common, so they can’t relay conversations even if he wants them to. But they can keep track of each other, and come tell him if someone is in trouble.

 

The others don’t question how Caduceus knows when accidents happen, or who’s come for healing before they even talk. They know how perceptive he is, and probably assume he sees the strain on their bodies. They’re all happy to be healed.

 

Sometimes, accidents happen to his little watch bugs. Beau can be clumsy, or possibly just over defensive when she feels little legs on her skin. A few get squished before they agree with Caduceus that they should ride on her staff and try to avoid bothering her.

 

It takes a while for him to realize that Nott is sometimes absentmindedly eating his little friends. At first he assumes they’re just getting smushed, accidentally or on purpose.

 

Then one day he spots her catching a beetle between thumb and forefinger and pop it into her mouth.

 

He remembers Caleb telling them about how Nott has eaten Frumpkin twice in the past.

 

The bugs who watch Nott are revered in the hive for their bravery.

 

Yasha spots his little friends sometimes, but doesn’t seem to think anything of it. There are bugs everywhere, as well Caduceus knows. And their shells are bright and beautiful, and Yasha smiles every time she sees one. Caduceus isn’t sure how far his little friends will be able to keep watch on her when she eventually goes, but he hopes she will return quickly.

 

Too many people he loves have walked away, never to return. He’s glad circumstances have kept Yasha close for a while.

 

The beetles don’t seem to mind watching Caleb either. His pockets are dangerous, a combination of alluring scents, lethal poisons, and explosives. But he is kind, and doesn’t try to squash them.

 

Once Caduceus came across him curled in a corner with one of the beetles sat on his finger, murmuring what sounded like poetry in Zemnian. He isn’t tender with the beetles the same way he is with Frumpkin, not attentive and proud.

 

But Frumpkin doesn’t bother the beetles either, not the way a normal cat might.

 

Caduceus is convinced that none of his companions have noticed, or suspect the way his little friends keep an eye on them. What’s one little bug when they’re running from monsters, or fighting fish people? Six little bugs, following them around and checking up on them.

 

One comes back with a tiny little dick drawn on his carapace.

 

The first time, Caduceus assumes Jester was just bored, testing her artistic skills. It’s quite exquisitely done.

 

Then another comes back with a tiny little heart.

 

The bugs don’t answer his questions about how it happens. They don’t always answer his questions anyway, so at first he thinks nothing of it.

 

But soon every evening, one of his bugs comes home with a little drawing on their shell. The drawn on beetles don’t go back to Jester, and soon there are a dozen different bugs happily going about their business with designs on their shells.

 

And not one of them talks to him about where the pictures come from.

 

Eventually, Caduceus’ curiosity overwhelms him. Obviously Jester is seeing the bugs every day, even if no one else is. It’s worth finding out what she knows.

 

When he finds her, she has a beetle sat on one of her horns. Not exactly the subtle hiding spot he’d asked them to take, but Jester seems to be ignoring it, humming happily to herself as she scribbles in her sketchbook. Caduceus decides to go for subtle.

 

“Miss Jester, have you been drawing on my beetles?”

 

Caduceus Clay is not good at subtle.

 

She looks up, smiles at him, and glances up towards her horn.

 

“Yes!” She says simply, closing her book and crossing her arms over it. There’s a decided gleam of mischief in her eyes. She also seems to be waiting for him to say something else.

 

Unable to think of anything, Caduceus comes to sit beside her.

 

“Why?”

 

Jester shuffles up a bit to lean against him, grinning.

 

“Well you’ve got them following me around all day, I thought I might as well make them pretty. Sometimes I feed them a little bit of honey.”

 

The thought brings a smile to the firbolg’s face, unbidden. Then he realizes what she said.

 

“Following you?”

 

The look she gives him says quite clearly that there’s no point playing innocent. It’s a tiny bit admonishing, but with such a warm, indulgent smile there’s no sting in it.

 

“Yes, Cad. You’ve got them following all of us around. It’s okay, I don’t mind. I think it’s cute that you want to keep us safe.”

 

An uncomfortable flush heats the firbolg’s cheeks but he can’t stop the smile either.

 

“Has it been that obvious?” He thought he’d been rather discrete, but, well. He’s never travelled with a group before.

 

Jester giggles and has to rise to her knees to press a kiss to his cheek.

 

“Not super obvious,” she reassures him cheerfully, “I’m pretty sure Fjord and Beau haven’t noticed. I don’t know about Nott.”

 

Caduceus can count.

 

“And Caleb?”

 

“I think Caleb thinks they’re sort of like your familiars,” Jester says with a thoughtful giggle. “I don’t know if he knows that they’re looking out for him, but he did come to ask me if I’d been drawing on them too. He said it helped his counting.”

 

That sounds so much like the solemn wizard that Caduceus can’t help a wider smile.

 

“Oh he did, did he?” Even he doesn’t know exactly how many beetles he has. At some point Caleb might be able to tell him, if Jester keeps up her artwork.

 

The beetles seem happy enough to keep going at any rate, and if any of the rest of the Nein have noticed none of them have come to complain. Caduceus considers asking them all, maybe bringing it up the next time they’re all together.

 

But what would be the point?

 

Either they already knew, and didn’t mind, or they didn’t and he would be risking offending someone. He’s not sure why Jester and Caleb have so readily decided he couldn’t possibly be spying on them.

 

Well. He knows why Jester is happy to continue things. Caleb is more of a mystery.

 

It’s not until he sees the bugs together on a wall that he realizes Jester’s painted about twenty of them to read “The Traveler is with you”.

 

She’s even persuaded them to stand in order. 

**Author's Note:**

> HK: And now I descend back to iPhone Backup Hell for my fifth restore attempt. Be kind to me.


End file.
